Tracing Arab-Islamic Inheritance in Madagascar: Study of the Y-chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA in the Antemoro
Madagascar is located at the crossroads of the Asian and African worlds and is therefore of particular interest for
studies on human population migration. Within the large human diversity of the Great Island, we focused our study on
a particular ethnic group, the Antemoro. Their culture presents an important Arab-Islamic influence, but the question
of an Arab biological inheritance remains unresolved. We analyzed paternal (n=129) and maternal (n=135) lineages
of this ethnic group. Although the majority of Antemoro genetic ancestry comes from sub-Saharan African and
Southeast Asian gene pools, we observed in their paternal lineages two specific haplogroups (J1 and T1) linked to
Middle Eastern origins. This inheritance was restricted to some Antemoro sub-groups. Statistical analyses tended to
confirm significant Middle Eastern genetic contribution. This study gives a new perspective to the large human
genetic diversity in Madagascar
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